The Sun. — London, England, 1838-02-05 00:00:00

VOTE BY BALLOT. ANDOVER, FED. 2, 1838.—A public meeting of the Bur esses a.e a other inhabitants was held on Monday last in the wo hall, for the purpose of adopting a petition to Parlia merit in favour of the Vote by Ballot. The meeting was numer ously and respectably attended, and composed (with few ex ceptions) of friends to the measure. The worthy Mayor, 'Thomcs Heath, Esq., being unanimously voted Chairman, introduced the subject by stating that the object of the meet ing would be more clearly understood by reading the requisi tion. teen. After reading which, he said, he hoped to claim their indu gvnee, having never interfered in, nor attended any, registra tion •political meetings since belied the honour of being eleFted , Mayor. He had carefully avo id e d t a ki ng a personal or e mer _ wise active part in politics ; but so long as he held 'tits present 'office, he would most readily attend to the yr:quest of the in liebitants, and afford them every oppoeteenity of free and fair discussion. He should be ready tq ',leer the sentiments of any gentleman unon the question before the meeting, and trusted they wrth', afford all parties the opportunity of expressing their opinion?, freely ; for though it was his wish to avoid political rneetj'egs, yet, whenever it was necessary to tender his vote, he 'would fearlessly and conscientiously discharge his duty. Mr. W. GOODALL then rose and said—Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, it devolves upon me to submit the first resolution. It would appear superfluous that I should argue in favor of the mode of voting by Ballot in order to protect the voter in the exercise of his franchise. I need only remind you of the de linquency which was practised during the last election, bribee y and corruption having prevailed to an extent before nnibeard of. The exercise of the elective franchise ouPt:t to be for the welfare of society—it is our duty to use it 'as in our judg ment will best promote the general interest of the country, by the choice of fit and proper men as our representatives. We must, therefore, endeavour to obtain . the Ballot, as without it the dependent voter cement conee : ,entiously discharge his duty. Lord John Russell rony objece to it upon the ground that it may lead to further derreands by the people, and refuse to give his sanction to what 'he is pleased to term organic changes in the Constitution. What man dare arrogate to himself superior wisdom upon ';his point, and tell the people of England no change eliall.'be permitted, unless it conduce to the interest of his Petty? We know that under present circumstances it is inne;ssible for a poor elector, without risking the loss of friends or the ruin of his business, to vote conscientiously. Upon the principle that no man should be taxed but with his own con sent, we shall deserve to be still more heavily taxed, unless we seek for the poor voters the protection of the Ballot, o n the existing state of the House of Commons, the prite e ipl e of their Poor Law economy was, that it sheeild prevent the con fiscation of property, which they asserted would 'oe swallowed up under the old system. "Whigs and Tories are alike impli cated in passing that B;;11. Again, with regard to the Pen sion List, did they no; exclude Mr. Harvey, that very indivi dual who forced them to the enquiry, and thus refused the va luable serlicP3 of a most efficient man—the man whom the people svoeild have most wished to have seen upon the Com mittee, The people ought to have a better controul over the Publi' expenditure, and this they could only obtain by sending re p r esentatives of their own choice to, Parliament. In condo s' on he begged to submit the first resolution . " That it is the opinion of this meeting that a great number of persons, who are entitled to the elective franchise, and who by the Constitution are required to exercise that right accord.. leg to the dictates of their consciences, are prevented from so doing by the mode of open voting now adopted at elections for Members of Parliament." Mr. C. MUNDY—I rise for the purpose of seconding the re solution, which has just been submitted. I shall detain but a short time. It is argued by many that the subis .n , t 'i or which we now meet ought not to be conceded, arid t . :..i t 'l laying obtained the Reform Bill, we should b satisfir-e. ; but I con tend that the Reform Bill was not eneant - el a final measure, and that laws should be altered aecordini to the circumstances and the increasing intelligence taf eke people. In the counti es the Members are e l ecte d b y t} le tenants of the Aristocracy, and it is noto r i ous t h at unless these men vote as their land lords request, they will ' e 00 expelled from their farms, and h e therefore sought tne • r pportunity of enabling them to vote agreeably to their consciences. At the last election tenants carried theirila - -rdltn:ds ticket s ' i n t h e i r poc k ets to te ll t h em for whom they eratiWi vote. When the Reform Bill was carried, Lord Grey "saie:i.," Let us see how it works, and if it is not com plete, wo. can amend it afterwards." Although he himself would ' prefer giving hi s vote openly, still he contended they d' were 'n duty bound t o see k protection for poor and dependent e' etors. Mr. T. LANGSTAFF.-Mr. Mayor, and Gentlemen-1 know the difficulty I encounter in rising to address an unwilling audience, What a commentary is this upon the Reform Bill ! I always said a Bill so incongruous as that never could be final. What advantage have we gained by that Act ? Greater dissensions prevail amongst us. Have not thousands of pounds been withheld from the town by the neighbouring gentry in consequence of your votes at elections? Why, if you have the liberty of voting, are you ashamed to tell a candidate whether you will vote for him or not ? I believe the measures i of the R e f ormers w ill l ea d to revolut i on.—( Laughter.) Mr. O'Connell said there wculd be very great changes, and you wish to divide us still more. lam confident this measure, if adopted, would lead to a collision between the Hoineen of Lords and Commons.--( Roars of laughter.) When have t h e 'Whigs done? Voted twenty millions of our me., ne y to enaan ciwate the slaves. The Dowager Chaneello-,—(Laughter)_ and O'Connell did not frame tho Poor Bill as it should have been. I always objected to it i'; being contrary to the laws of God. Ministers were vern glad to adopt the recom mendation of Sir R. Peel—_:lie naay be said to be the principal dictator—they have all ":.he pay, whilst Sir Robert does the duty.—( Laughter.) If we seek to abolish the good old laws of the country, we shall end in revolution, and then I suppose Mr. Goodall ' , would be Lord Chancellor, and Mr. Marsh, Vice. Then, would be for making laws of their own. Look at the fru;n s of your darling Reform Bill, we were to have nothing but happiness and prosperity. The Vote by Ballot wore',d make Members of Parliament pledged delegates—it e:'ushed the French monarchy—the blessed House of Com mons would be nothing but dictators.—(Laughter.) I am desirous for the liberties of the people, but many of you would do away with t,'ne Lords as in Cromwell's time. The last ad dress you eent was too strong even for Lord Radnor. He told you 'it was before him, and would soon be behind him.— ( Much 'mughter.) It was ultimately kicked under the table. Whee.ever you do, I strenuously oppose the measure. de. MARSIL—The usual custom is to move an amendment tie the resolution, and call upon some person to second it. Mr. T. LANGSTAFF.—Then I propose that this meeting be -adjourned sine die. One hand only was held up. H. MARSH, Esq., then came forward, and was receivod with great applause. He assured the meeting it gave, him great pleasure in witnessing so respectable an aatendance upon the present occasion, particularly as they appeared to meet in a friendly spirit; and although they mint differ in sentiment - he was convinced they had only Gee, object in view—the ha • piness and prosperity of the cnemery.—(Hear, hear, an d plause.) My good friend ( Mr. T. Langstlff), for suc a h e considered him, notwithstanding they might now differ with each other on political questions, had been pleased to nomi nate him (Mr. 1 1 ,.) and Mr. Goodall to very exalted situa tions—of coure e they should look to their Tory patron to take care that th: e emoluments should correspond with the impor tance of t) ae station.—( Much la ug ht er .) It was a very corn mon remark, that renegades and apostates were almost alwa \ s the %lost virulent opposers of those principles they formerly ho ~j —( Hear, hear.) Thus it appeared upon the present 7. c,- .7-asion—for he remembered his 'North), friend, in bygone days, a most strenuous Reformer—indeed he went far beyond him ( Mr. M.); for whilst he (Mr. M.) only read. and quoted Cobhett, his friend used to read and quote the, Black Dwarf, and many other peppery and high.scasoned political publica tions of that day.—( Much lalighter.) - Vv - hen a boy, he hod read Ovid's Metamorphose s ; but lie could not recollect any one of them half so singular, so curious, and FO amusing, as the great change his worthy friend had u n . derrr ° one ; he would not have all u d e d to these circumstances had not the wornhy gentleman been so pointedly kind in marking him (Mr. M.) out for future preferment.—( l great deal of laughter.) He (Mr. M.) begged pardon for this digression, and would now come to a subject of infinitely more importance than any change that might have taken place in the opinions of Mr. T. Langstaff or any other person—( Hear, hear)—he m.iant the all-important question of every elector exercising the elective franchise according to the dictates of his conscience, uncontrolled, unmolested, and uninjured.-- (near, bear, and cheers.) Mr. M. here went into a very in tense:trig detail of facts, to show how difficult it was, under the System of open voting, for many persons to vote agreeably to their own wishes and desires: he then illustrated Isis argu ment by referring to the situation of landloi:a and tenant ; he saw no claim the landlord could have that could entitle him to oc.rnpvl the tenant to vote contrary to ls', 3 wish and his con science.—( Hear, hear.) The Peerorm Bill, in giving the elective franchise to the farmer, never intended that he was to exercise it in the feelin and spirit of a mere vassal.—( Hear, bear, and much troplause.) The intention of those who tramen that Act undoubtedly was, that as the tenant embarked h e, capital e n d exerc i se d hi s sk i ll in the cultivation of the lam', that even in a pecuniary point of view he had an unques tiened right to a free vote, if it were only as representing the capital he employed.---(" True," and much applause.) So also with tradesmen, Was it not a most degrading and dis graceful circa ;,stance, that an honest and industrious man, instead of consulting his conscience and the good of his coun try, Pitist be compelled to consult his ledger, to ascertain whom he may please or di s pl ease b e f ore h e ten d ers h i s vote? —(Shame.) He had witnessed many elections, and had seen most worthy and respectable families thrown into great dis tress and perplexity, by the coercion and force exercised to compel the head of the family either to break his promise or violate his conscience.—(" It must be altered.") It was said by some that the Ballot was an un-English, sneaking, and unmanly way of voting ; but, supposing such to be the case, who was it that drove the people to demand this alteration ? Why the Tories, who would not suffer the people to act as they had a right to do. If landlords would let their tenants mount their horses, and go to the poll as uncontrolled as they go to market, and if customers would suffer tradesmen to leave their counters and give their votes freely and unre strained, there would be no outcry for the Ballot.—( Hear. ) For his own part, he preferred open voting, because he neither courted the smiles nor feared the frowns of any one ; but he well knew that all persons were not able so to act, arid therefore he had become a reluctant convert to the Ballot, seeing that we had only a choice of difficulties, either that the Reform Act should become a dead letter, or that some means ~...._. .... , i .,,.,,,,, , must be devised whereby' the elective franchise may be exer ';:iii:-.,. - : cised without let, hindrance, molestation, or injury to the ( f; t .^,,..,; Y,) , r.—(Cheers, and much applause.) If a more desirable )1: •,-.:A'is! s 4 . hod than the Ballot, and equally efficacious, could be : 16 , ,‘ ~t4 , ,, , ,t 4 „ foltd, he for one should have no objection to it. We often 0 F' 4 4 ?" : 1 4 , , 1 -t t ;. .. tr... 1 21 ,11. tf.i* a great deal said about the wisdom of our ancestors: r7:l:7';-• ; „,,,, .; Tong other instances of their wisdom, he could well re l.° .OV. . -.:"..c_ Etpber when he was a boy, if any persons coming under the W•••••• , • . ..., • r te ''.4.4,- ..s. . p.......... 0-4.1 1 t AR Nifit ' ' THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1838. designation of sturdy beggars were seen going about from house t 3 house begging for money, or, as sometimes happened, for what is called broken victuals, these gentry would soon !set themselves placed in the hands of that Angusst personage known by the name of the parish beadle; who, taking them to the whipping-post, would apply a pretty smatt portion of the eisdem of our ancestors to their Backe,—.( Laughter.) Now, in the various election contests hi which he had been engaged e had often seen Tory 'squires, aye, and Tory parsons also— Hear, hear)—gOing, about from house to house, not exactly begging for money or with all th7j,rmiot andto get votes, and net very c1 .117 puke,- 401 ".. - e victuals, but begging as to whether they obtained them with or islitr: u , :woken promises. Now it had often struck him that a rich man begging for a broken promise, was much more hurtful to society than a poor one begging f or b ro k en victuals--( Hear, I hear)—and therefore be was not sure but a little of that wis dom of our ancestors to which he had alluded, properly and proaiptly applied to these aristocratical beggars, might be quite as efficacious as the Ballot.--(Great cheers and much laugh ter.) In conclusion Mr. M. observed, that we might bOa4t of our great Charter, of our Bill of Rights, of our Ret•.:irm Bill — but all these vouchers and securities for our ':"lghts and libertiee would be found unavailing if we su cr :ered the elective Asiktittliise to be poisoned and polluted at only real and solid security for source.—(lloa4 tear.) Th e curity for our lilserty would best be found is e"suring. 'maintainin g , and eeeetrming the indeereelenVe of the gyp .c body of the electors.—( Much cheeritig, atiq applause. ) 34 _;. M. then moved the following vesoletion':— " That owing to this mode of open voting the undue in fluenees of wealth and pewee are employed to corrupt and coerce the poor, and aloe the dependent voter, and that such a practice is as uncotestitutional and dangerous to the freedom of the country as it is contrary to law; and that as, from the manner in which bribery and coercion are used, it is almost impossible to indict, with success, the offending parties, the only effectual check that can be put upon such a baneful practice is, to give every voter, in the exercise of the elective franchise : the protection of the Vote by Ballot." Mr. Wieetam LAN STAFF. —ln seconding the resolution pro posed by Mr. Marsh, it may he almost unnecessary to trespass upon your time, after the able remarks you have heard from him. He (Mr. L.) never considered the present a party question. We were all interested it the mode of exercising the franchise—he would call to th recollection of the meeting the disgraceful scenes enact , ,:, at Norwich, Hull, Liverte:o',, and man l y ether places vr.atehrendered it impertalTe that the Legis 'tatttna %11OU'id Iran some law to prevent the repetitions of such demoralizing conduct. The poor voter by the present mode was subject to every species of coercion and intimidation, not only here, but in almost every borough throughout the king dom—the aristocracy of the country unite their efforts to crush all independent and conscientious voters. My political senti ments are too well known to you all for you to suppose that I ask for the Ballot on my own account. I could not individually derive any pecuniary advantage from it. The Tories arc suffi ciently acquainted with my character. I am very seldom visited by them, but I was greatly amused a short time since, when a carriage stopped at my door. I very politely stepped out, but immediately I paid my respects to the occupants ; who were ladies, one of them told the coachman to drive off, and I heard her say, " that is the Radical;" in fact the Aristocracy and the clergy set their faces against all who net 511 1 61114 to be their slaves, and we may es well exer'.. - ct to tee a swallow at this unseasonable tine as a Tory oe a ilergymanin my indeed a regular coe - ebination exi sts t o compel akl whom they can intimidate t r violate their conseiteree's and their duty t o their county: J r, when teederiet- area votes at elections. Mr. .‘,9IORTIMORE, ritipostng the third resolution, remarked thP.the considered that the Vote by Ballot could not be ob jected to lee ally honest man; even Mr. Thomas Langstaff could then vote as he pleased, but he thought the arguments that he bad used against the measure perfectly futile, and that the part he now took in politics rather claimed his (Mr. M.'s) pity than censure. . - ROBERT DOWLING, Esq., briefly seconded the third reso lution, which was as follows : " That a petition to Parliament, embodying the sentiments of this meeting, as expressed in the foregoing resolutions, and praying for the establishment of the Vote by Ballot, be forth with signed and forwarded to Ralph Etwall, Esq., M. P. for this borough, for presentation." The petition was then read and unanimously adopted. After a vote of thanks to the Mayor, the meeting separated. SPIRIT of the WEEKLY JOURNALS. (From the Examiner.) The Times certainly take infinite pains with the Queen. It began early; it began by instructing the Duches of Kent in the proper method of educating her daughter, and the counsel not having been heeded, it next advised the Princess to turn off her mother; but strongly as the grace and pro priety of that step were inculcated by the lords paramount of Puddledock, this lesson also was neglected. Thus, first, the Queen's education was not to The Times editor's mind next, the Queen's mother was not to The Times editor's mind; and now the Queen's dinners are not to The Times editor's mind. To speak the truth, The Times Moliere's Precieuse would phrase it, furiously particular about the Queen's company, and it has the most positive ob jections to Lord Melbourne. It is not ofopinion, indeed, that " a little Melliourne is a dangerous thing," but it sees pre cisely the degree of frequency in his visits which must prove fatal to the monarchy. The Times' editor, therefore, with the patriotism which is his boast, to save the monarchy, kindly presents himself in the character of " Duenna" to the young Queen. There were three things which Solomon, albeit the wisest of men, did not understand. There are two things which have perplexed and baffled all modern sagacity, namely, why dogs turn round three times before they lie down ; and why dustmen wear red breeches, which habit is inscrutable. There is one thing, and one only, which the Times' editor does not comprehend. Why Lord Melbourne is such a con stant inmate of the Royal residence. Now, if the Queen cannot give the Times' editor some very satisfactory reason for the choice of her guests, fearfully will be rung in the cars of the whole world the alarm bell of the Great Tom of Puddledock against her Majesty's dinner-bell, and from pole to pole the momentous question will resound, Why does Lord Melbourne dine with the Queen?" Nay, it cannot, it will not stop here ; and Lord Londonderry, who is of an inquiring turn of mind, will move in the House of Lords, and Colonel Sibthorp will move in the Commons, for a return of the number of times Lord Melbourne has dined with tho Queen ; and it may, indeed, be thought expedient to pro pose an amendment to include luncheons. Then will come un der debate the Great Dinner Question, and, after the pattern of the Royal Marriage Act, a Royal Invitation Act will be passed. Bnt meanwhile, as nothing less than the monarchy is in danger of being eaten up by that ogre Lord Melbourne, it may be expedient to carry a short Bill suspending the Queen's power of sending out invitation cards, and appointing the editor of the Times to order her Majesty's entertainments and to select her company. The Times must be the chaperon to the Queen, and clothed with full powers, and in token of them, with a full turban or toque, we believe it is called by gentle milliners. The first object of his office must be to en deavour to undo the baneful effects of Lord Melbourne's dining overmuch ; and for this purpose it would be advisable to put the Queen through an alterative course of dining with some eminent Saints— s u c h a s Lord Lyndhurst, or the Duke of Wellington. But why do we anticipate ? Why usurp tlie prerogatives of Puddledock ? Better leave it all to the greet oracle. There are masters for every accomplishment and for every act in life. There wax a professor who taught people to make salad. There was another who taught people to eat soup without swallowing the spoon. There was another who taught ladies how to get into their carriages : and now a master arises who teaches Queens how to choose their din ner company, The man who taught making salad, and the man whc taught eating soup, and the man who taught carAage steps, charged half a guinea a lesson ; but, tvotaderful to say, the man who teaches Queens to make din ner-parties, charges only fivepence—and most literally, it is :;heap as dirt—nay, if you sent to Puddledock for a handful of dirt, such as can be found only in the region of the lay-stalls, to throw at the Queen and her Prime Minister, the porterage of the filth would cost more than when brought home to your own doors in the Times paper. But yet the great master has not done all his duty. He must be the Moses of monarchical manners and morals, and must draw up a decalogue for the Queen, beginning with the command to dishonour her mother, and ending with a prohibition of the entertainment of her Prime Minister, supported by the confidence of the country in her counsels. But still, after all, what will satisfy the Tories ? In the last reign the cry was, Lord Melbourne is never at the Pa lace, the Monarch haws hint ; and now the cry is, Lord Mel bourne is never out of the Palace, the Monarch delighteth to honour him. So true is it, begging Lord Melbourne's pardon for the canine parallel, that " any stick is good enough to beat a dog." Alosing gambler, rushing out of Crock lord's at three o'clock of a summer morning, saw a stout man with his foot raised on the post at the corner, engaged in the very peace able and proper act of tying his shoe. The gambler ran at the stout man, kicked his anonymous quarter, and upset him. The stout man rose in astonishment at the outrage, and more in sorrow than in anger, exclaimed, " What's that for ? I was only tying my shoe at that post,"—Only tying your shoe at post," roared the other, in a frenzy of rage ; " you are always tying your shoe at that post !" And such is the head and front of Lord Melbourne's offend ing. He is " always tying his shoe at that post." The losing player, rushing out of the Carbon cries out the Pre mier is " always dining with the Queen;" but Lord Melbourne will not be so easily upset as the stout man in St. James's street, and he will tie his shoe wherever he thinks proper. And this brings us to another branch of the argument of the Times, whether Lord Melbourne, as Prime Minister, has constitutionally any right to dine. Referring to his own pri vate and personal constitution, it may appear that he has the right to dine ; but re f err i ng t o th e B r itish constitution the Times contends that he has no right to dine. Instead of dis cussing viands, argues the Times, he ought to be discussing state affairs, and it should be his custom in the afternoon to digest nothing but counsel. The Treasury board should be his only board. See the difference between Whig and Tory statesmen When the Duke of Wellington was at the head of affairs he lived on canary seed, and was hardly ever what was called pecking ; and mark wh at a fi gure h e h as f or ru nning a race against time i n the dispatch of business—a very paper cutter, instead of a trencher man. But Lord Melbourne, ox the other hand, is a Dando, a Wu() of palaces, a man mountain, who will eat up the Crown, not through malice aforethought, or treason, but from forgetting what the Times teaches him that he ought not to have time to eat at all, and least of all to cat with the Queen, whom, the Tinics adds, he vic timizes most disgracefully. This, as the stage coachman said of the Reform Bill, is a question of victuals ; but it is also as much a question of waste of time, according to Puddledock authority. The rule laid down goes to the extent that the ins have no right to dine oat ; they are welcome, and, indeed, ex horted to go out, but not to dine out. Homer affirms that it ill becomes a counsel-bearing man to sleep at night ; and the Times improves upon the test by the addition that he should not waste time in eating in the day. Is it for the Queen's service.--ii it for the Queen's dignity—is it becoming—is it commonly decent—that a man who has the weightiest func tions of the State to discharge, who to el'orciiiie gilant and never-sleeping ments of the ...Lenuenee over all depart t.rioust‘, ought to be the most inttus . occupied, and mos t l a b or ious man of business in the whole kingdom, should dine? That is the question, anti dine not at all the Puddledock responses Or if :y ou do dine, dine net with the Queen; However this great party question—the dinner partyNie§- tion—may be disposed of, the Queen, mast . peceiV'e foretaste of *hat her condition weitilci lk With a Tory Nli nistry; or mastery, as it would more poperly be called. Her . try company wontd natVkl het own. In the list Niel' the Tories brought matters to such pitch thAt Lb:e sovereign could not dine out 'ineaSed, 4.l:`i now they w ou ld order 3?) that the Sovereign should not dine of hxm`'',.l`')vi a th whom she pleases. Thus, ;„ an espe+l Iknner, they wage war with the Royal dir t , tis. All the sympathetic dinner tables in the land must feelingly resent this wrong to the liberty of hospitality ) and ten thousand knives an d forks should leap from their side boards to vindicate the Queen's right of dining with whom she pleases. But to be serious as one can be upon a subject so prepS terously forced into discussion, if what we hear of her Majesty's strength of character be true, as we believe it to be, from all corroborative public evidence, the Tories have gone to work in a manner the most certain to defeat their object. The Its Tat'a wart Constitution; llunderieg bullies might learn a l esson f r om the f a bl e e e ofree 6ert i h rt rwn s t) Boreas and the Traveller's M an tl e ." ( From the W ee kl y True Snzz4 reformed THING T a House er Co mtno n e lidsin some respects faulty, an d h o! ' reared a deeptitleiti, sofne —O a r fortnight respects fair, and that fur ear- little k"'wit England. Jr,52. 0 • 'c.!to theof people eeiar am' position, we are as fearful of houe/ss t as of troops, readily assail any one who dares to entertain there. Whatever progress we may be making in the externals of Reform, we are going back with rapid strides, at least in the Senate, in whatever is dignified in conduct or inspiring in the voice and claims of freedom. When Pitt proposed the Canadian Constitution, Charles Fox stood forth, and, throwing aside the bandages of party, fearlessly advocated the union of the Provinces and an Elective Council. This, be it remembered, was the seed time of Reform, when few men cared to sow the soil which in their own day could yield no golden harvest, oven though it survived the cold night of neglect, or the desolating step of tyranny. What a wretched spectacle has been exhibited throughout the discussion of this vast ques tion by men of all partite ) and how truly humiliating is the ap pearance of the Queen's Government, * " Not content With chalking out i.hett Own policy, they under to denounce all othere *ht dissent from it. Accuse them of indecision, and they impute rash designs, to their opponents ; tell them ttey are tardy and false r and they boldly reply their accusers are fools or traitore. Of late they have assumed a I more daring toms t and Its their tenure of office is becoming precarioes b thq do not hesitate to insinuate that no govern- I milt Lan succeed them, which is not countenanced by the Court. Lord John Russell was more than usually intelligible on this head, when Peel proclaimed his readiness once more to take the reins of government. A blessed finale to all our labours in the great cause of Reform, to be told that this nation is at length to be the sport of a petticoat Government. And unless the public bestir themselves, and assume a becoming position, there will be no glaring discrepancy in this, and an apology for a weak Government will be found in the degenerating crime of popular servility. At all events, the present House of Commons presents no barrier to the experiment. That august Assembly is nearly equally divided into two great factions, under the direction of leaders who have a tolerable understanding of their respective objects. They present the appearance of a fashionable party, which is too large to be accommodated at the same table at the same time, so that when one set is served, another succeeds. At the same time there is an ill-concealed anxiety to belong to the first division, partly because it is considered more se lect, but chiefly, as offering the fairest chance of being well served. In this fashionable scramble it ought never to be forgotten, that John Bull supplies the table, which he can ill afford. But to revert to the factions. We own ourselves perplexed, when endeavouing to account for the unreasoning obsequiousness which induces large bodies of men possessing an enormous aggregate of wealth—some of them of highly cultivated midds, and of the noblest and proudest alliances, to enlist themselves in such an unbecoming and worthless strife. In the great scramble for place, whether to get or to keep it, not more than thirty out of 655 can succeed ; all the rest loiter about the anti-chambers, or crowd the stair case, honoured by a squeeze, and proud of a distant nod. It is true the same whispering is going on touching the impudence of the persons who have usurped the Councils of the State, as are, heard at a fashionable rout upon the arrogance of the upstart host, with a comfort however, which is common to both, that such doings cannot last long. Still it does and will last, if some bold effort be not made to break the thing up ; and this great nation, with its mighty interests, will become the prey of a system, in which wickedness is checked by weakness, and which weakness becomes in its turn, as the natural ally of cowardice, the sole safeguard against rash and ruinous enter prize. This melancholy position of public affairs is seen and felt by all considerate men, and yet no remedy is suggested. During the debate on the Canada Bill, the Tories were elated at the spirit of their leader, and the keener scented of the pack were in marching order for office. In spite of frost and flood the Conservative benches were thronged, Sir Robert Peel mustered his staff, and the plan of battle was laid down. There was no wincing nor mistake. The Commander in-chief was unusually valorous, and his troop in high spirits, equally prepared for sacking or speaking, for silence or shouting ; place and plunder were the excitements, and had each fellow been plied with an extra quartern, he could not have been riper or fitter for mis chief. And it must be admitted that a fine opportunity opened upon this daring band, e hieh the acutest of them were not slow to discern ; but there were latent causes which prevented their leaders from taking the right ground, or nothing could have prevented a signal victory. As it was, the whole affair ended in a grand field day, to the great annoyance of the pri vates, who are gone again into winter quarters, and to the great grumbling of the subordinates, many of whom threaten to throw up their commissions and set up for themselves. As close observers of the combatants, we must think the Conser vative party has thrown away a great occasion, and that the better part of them have just reason to complain of the small and scurvy tactics of their chiefs. It is mighty well for Sir Robert Peel, with his thousands of acres, manufactured by the bones and marrow of millions of hand loom weavers, to assume a tone of listless indifference to office—and equally well it may be, for such red-tapists as Herries and Goulburn, to ape the same feeling, wisely doubting, whether it is not better for them, to pocket their pensions of 2.,000/. a year, doing nothing, than encoun t er t h e turmoils of office, for about 2,0001. more, and at the same time hazarding an inquiry whence it is, that a brace of idle fellows, one of whom, front being a small clerk, is marvellously rich, are allowed to fatten upon the ill-requited labour of an over-taxed community. There are many sly rogues who stand loitering in the Conser vative ranks similarly circumstanced, and who reason after the same fashion. But the best and purest men of the party, the Marquis of Chandos, Mr. Gladstone, Sir Francis Burdett, Mr. Ackland, Sir Gerge Sinclair, and many others of high and disinterested feelings and objects, do not think so. On the contrary, they must be ashamed and disgusted at the narrow policy of Sir Robert Peel, in his resistance of the Canadian Bill. As we have before observed, the occasion was splen did, and such as the most consummate stat esman mi g ht covet. /t was for the Common s of England to ha ve addresse d c the Crown to institute an iaquirg into the circumstances wh ich l had thrown a British colony, crowded with our own kindred into a state of sanguinary revolt, and to visit the wrong-doers with the punishment due to their high crimes. Such a pro ceeding as this would have put her Majesty's Government upon its trial, and the inquiry would have enlist ed the pu blic mind, which is always prepared to assume the lofty attitude of justice. But the reason, the real reason, for a far different course, is to be found in the fact, that the inquiry could not have been restricted to the present men in office. The wily leader of the Tories well knew, and so do the pensioned hangers-on, that the articles of impeachment must extend over a wider space of time . than from the year I 534, and that Glenclg's guilt would be the condemnation of Lords Aberdeen, Ripon, and Stanley. All this the two factions were alive to, and they snugly nestled in criminal repose, winking at each other, like rogues at a prize fight, who well know that a " cross" has been arranged, but that the appearance of being in earnest must be kept up to amuse and gull the poor ignorant fools, who form the ring, in full reliance upon the integrity as well as strength of the combatants. The victory, such as it 'is, which has b een (-rained by the Tories over the Government, is attributable entirety either to the disgusting selfishness of the Whigs or the inconsiderateness of their law advisers. If the former, a great principle has been s acrificed to a love of office, at he same time the most biting insults have been heaped upon their steady adherents; if the latter, we are less surprised at the awkward ness of the Crown lawyers, than at the defective tact by which the Government was restrained from correctiug au error, which devolved no peculiar blame upon them. As the rabid Tories throughout the country, who are toasting " the Church and a jolly full bottle," are chuckling over this mighty achieve ment, it is well that their coneeit should be somewhat lessened. The original Bill, as introduced by Lord J. Russell, contained a preamble which proclaim ed the necessit y for, a nd the natu re of, the government policy. Though clumsily drawn, the design of the Government was to soften the features of despotism, and to make the House of Commons the responsible limners. The Mi nisters, agitated by a sense of their fate, and afraid to propose any measure which may entail upon them popular odium, if not higher penalties, sought shelter from punishment in the preamble of an Act of Parliament ; and further, to save the consciences of some adherents, who stipulate for one clean end to a dirty stick, they inserted a clause, empowering the Queen in Council to repeal their iron measure of despotism. Now, if the provisions of the Bill had clearly carried out the covert design of the preamble—the strictly constitutional de sign of pledging the British Legislature to a measure of high state policy, called for by events which admitted of no pallia tion—we should have seen retie to admire in the Bill, But no such object animated the Government; on the con trary, they were exclusively bent upon their individual security under the shelter of a preamble, framed in a spirit of sinister dexterity. Then again, while they lacked the courage of braving the possible results of their own policy, they meanly sought to obtain for themselves the ex clusive grace of repealing a measure, so justly repulsive to British feelings.. To this end a clause Was inserted, that it should be competent for her Majesty iii Council; at any , tiinh; to repeal th e said Act, a n d thtis Ministers Stripped their de= luded adherents Of th e on ly palliation Whildi offered fur their Support of a itidaattre Which nothing but the sternest nos esSiiy could justify. As the Legislature had inflicted the blow, soto the Legislature ought to have been left the grace of healing th e ---- ' c'- P-ts..-t Peel saw, and with merellai 3 e - t - 0 ,4 Aenouneeri tv, .....:.: i 1 . t u t cheat, and but for the timely intervention of Lord Durham's uncte, ; ( anti -ilyr,;:,7itly's brrttheti Mr. Edward Ellice, the defeat and Ala c a of the Ministers '-'-law, Would have been signal and complete. - Nr; time Was ‘ 9 i n lost, no squeamish delicacy to be observed. It signified nothing that Mr. Ward, Mr. . Clay; Mr. Hawes, and others Of .the sickly tribii of politicians; law in i the preambi t e of the Bill, And the Oilati fepOalink Cliiiiie; t. 14, sole jiistifi tatiOn for their support of a measure so diabolically desptrtic —it signified nothing to the plain-speaking man of Coventry, that Lord John Russell htid made . these two provisions the Alpha and Ornegaiif hls *ill And Arid diieohi'sc i it qtnifi#4l nii. t 0.4 to Min that honest John Campbell, whose hatred of the Lords was soothed by the sop of an hereditary title for his wife and little one. No, ne i o the rnpn . Wc4l ttiiiiwri in tie 1 City well hoe* triad hi,: i,VO abiint, And Oh iii4fa'elloit meg, nt - S% iiptoSe iii the Very thick of the ,gaping Whiglings, and avowed his atter asto.nishttlent at reading theprOrrible and the final Clailsc.' , -:-iiiltt at ilea incy ii,:ere mere tOrilial terbhigp, alfd so he doubted not his Noble Friend; and his Learned Friend, and all his Honourable Friends around hi m , w o uld see; after a little rellection. Nu peh; hut that of did .Cobbeit, could do justice to the scene that edgi46d, Sir tiobk!it ,Ad his hungry staff looked like dead lien with untied jaAs, while the 399 Con'Aervative trodps; who had crime ficim the re.mt):est parts to support their, leader; bowled and roiled lafter the manner of a pack Of tOzhOtincis tbrOWn oft their scent: hdd John still affected devotion to his 13i11, as it I tta ( A, and uninitiated people really fancied he would reSign l rather than abandon the head and tail of the rtlashre i but I not so thought those who well knew the stuff of which the ' little fellow and his comrades are made, In less than two hours enough was said to indicate the direction of the wind ; and next day, after the farce of a Cabinet meeting, end a little clumsy coxcombry in the House, Edward Ellice received 1 the congratulations of his friends, for being the most cunning ; schemer in her Majesty's dominions. Poor Ward and the purists looked unutterably, but there was no help for them. The Bill was read a third time amidst the ill-concealed dis appointment of the Tories, the chuckling of the Cabinet, and ! the derision of all honest men. ASSURANCE SOCIETIES. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. - - W. C., a working man, aged twenty-six, together with his wife aged thirty, are very desirous of becoming members of some Assurance Society which combines, as much as possible, the advantages of a Benefit Society (namely, relief in sickness) with a provision for the remaining branches of the family on the death of a member. The parties would willingly join a Benefit Society could they feel assured of its safety : they have also other objections, such as meeting in a public-house, and the great amount of fines, &e. Can the Editor of The Sun oblige W. C. by informing him where or how he should apply to become a member of a❑ Assurance Society such as he has mentioned ? January 27, 1838. [We recommend W. C. to apply at the National Loan Fund Association, 69, Cornhill, as the most likely place to afford the requisite information—indeed, the only place we know of. Sty.] IRELAND. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) DUBLIN, SATURDAY. COMBINATION —CI rizEsis' PETITION.—The petition of the citizens of Dublin, calling for a Parliamentary inquiry into the system of combination existing among the trades in this country, will b e d es p a t c hed to London by this night's post, for presentation, before Mr. Wakley's motion with respect to the Glasgow cotton spinners comes on. It bears the signatures of more than 2,000 of the most respectable of the bankers, mer chants, manufacturers, and householders of the city. O'CONNELL'S DEPARTURE.—NIr. O'Connell sailed for Holyhead yesterday evening, by the steamer Britannia. He was accompanied to the North Wall, where he embarked, by the Committee and leading members of the National Trades' Political Union in twenty coaches. The abuse which was heaped upon him by some of the tradesmen at the meeting in the Royal Exchange suggested to these gentlemen the neces sity of demonstrating how far they were from participating in the feeling evinced against him. It was accordingly agreed, Mr. O'Connell's consent having been reluctantly yielded, that they should wait upon him at his residence in Merrion-square, and accompany him to the packet. LEGAL APPOINTMENTS. —Mr. Hudson, whose name was brought so prominently before Parliament some time ago by the Tories in connection with the Dublin election, has been appointed to the situation of Taxing 'Offieer to the Courts, which fell to the gift of the Government by the death of the officer. It is worth more than one thousand pounds a-year. Mr. Anthony Wells, an old gentleman, who is only known as a " moderate Whig," will get the assistant promotership, va cant by the promotion of Mr. Hudson. REPRESENTATION OF GALWAY.—Andrew Harry Lynch, Esq., will be returned for Galway again, as his situation is not incompattible with his Parliamentary duties. It is said a Tory will be put in nomination, but lie will not have the re motest chance of succeeding. FORGERIES OF TILE ORANGE PRESS.—The people of Eng land are not yet, I fear, perfectly aware of the character of the calumnies upon Ireland which are daily paraded in the Tory Journals. They know not that three-fourths of them are en tire forgeries, and the other fourth grossly exaggerated. For the last fortnight the Papers upon both sides of the channel have been engaged in trumpeting a tale of horror about a murder committed upon an innocent child by a mob, headed by a Priest, who instigated them to the horrid act, because the child's father had become a Protestant. The story originally appeared in the (,'rok Constitution, in a letter, purporting to be from the father of the murdered girl (John Mulcauley), giving a circumstantial and detailed account of the affair, stating the Priest's name, the name of the parish and exact locality, and concluding by ascertaining that one of the mur derers was in custody. Not the least appalling cir cumstance in the statement was, that the Priest should constantly " murder the heretic Protestant boys, and I'll give you absolution." This story was circulated through the empire, and read with astonishment and horror by thousands of conscientious and upright Englishmen, who doubtless would feel degraded by association with a people guilty of such inhuman brutality. Well, after having pro duced this effect, it appears, by the affidavits of four respect able Protestants, that there was not the minutest shadow of truth in the whole statement. No such person as John Mul cauley ever lived in the,parish in which it was alleged the out rage took place—no such murder ever was committed; and the affidavit goes on to say, that the Protestant and Catholic inhabitants live together upon the most friendly terms. Such is the food with which the hatred of Ireland, and the honour of Popery, is daily fed by truth-loving Tory scribes. Such audacious forgeries are become so common, as to scarcely ex cite the slightest attention here, though they do the work for which they aro intended upon your side of the Channel. COUNTY KERRY.—The Liberals of the county Kerry are taking the proper means to rid themselves of their Tory mis representative. At the late registering they added ninety to their strength in the county, and sixty in the borough of Tralee. Pooa LAWS.—MERTING AT CORK.—A meeting of the citi zens of Cork, convened to take the question of a Poor-law for Ireland into consideration, took place upon Wednesday last. A resolution in favour of out-door relief was adopted, and a petition, praying for several amendments in the Bill, was agreed to. On Thursday a meeting for the same purpose was held at Naas, where Mr. Purcell proposed a measure for the relief of the poor, for the adoption of which he wished the meeting to petition. The meeting adjourned till the 15th ; and, in the mean time, the Bill is to be printed, and exten sively circulated through the country. TORY EQUITY.—Lord Lorton has issued an address to his tenantry, stating that some murder occurred in the locality of one his estates, and adding that if the murderer or mur derers are not discovered, he has given orders that every tenant upon the estate shall be ejected as soon as his lease drops, and as a present punishment lie has directed his agent to call in every farthing of rent due to him. It would be almost incredible that any man would be capable of such a bare-faced system of punishing the innocent for the guilty, it it was not published to the world under his own hand. Lord Lorton is one of the saints, and was a leader of the new Re formation party in its day. MR. O'CONNELL.-TRADES' UNIONS In the prosecution of the patriotic and sensible endeavours to arouse the artizans to a knowledge of the consequences of trade combinations, Mr. O'Connell has provoked a controversy with the trades of Glasgow, part of which appears in the Morning Advertiser today; and in which Mr. O'Connell appears on one point to have the advantage. The Glasgow trades say—when any class or profession unite for their mutual benefit, they and they alone have the right to regulate the mode of admission to that profession or craft. This is founded on the imme morial usage, of which the law profession furnishes a striking and ap propriate example, not to mention the clerical and medical unions. But Mr. O'Connell declares that this is unfounded in theory and mis chievous in practice, and quotes the exclusion of Mr. Harvey from the bar, and refers to cases of exclusion from medical practice to prove that the monopoly exercised by these self-constituted bodies as against the public is a public nuisance. He further says—" Let us take the carpenters' trade. Now, according to you, if the profession or craft of carpenters unite for their mutual benefit, then they, and they alone, upon your principle, would have a right to regulate the mode of ad. mission to such profession or craft. Now, see how monstrous the consequences would be. The carpenters could, by their regulations, ex clude any and as many persons as they pleased from the carpenters' craft ; they would by their regulations snake their monopoly as close as they pleased, by preventing any more persons being admitted into the craft ; such would be the effect of your principle in each profession and trade. I must say this is a monopoly to which the people of Great Britain would not, and will never submit. They have ere now decapi. tated a monarch for having attempted to establish such and similar monopolies. In fact, the artisans, while they profess an attachment to the principles of freedom, only justify their practice by following the reprobated conduct of the legal and medical professions." On another point, Mr. O'Connell's recommendation, "that an officer of the Crown, or constable, ought to be present at every meeting of Trades' Unions," which the Glasgow trades say would be an act of the most despotic tyranny. Mr. O'Connell is wisely silent. Such a proposition, if he ever made it, must have been thrown out in the heat of the moment, and he must wish that he had not injured his otherwise most creditable exer tions on the subject by such a crude suggestion. The date of his latest letter is Jan. 15, and it replies to some further observations of the trades on capital and labour, and states, that it is only at a personal interview with them, which he cannot now have, that lie could enter into a full discussion with them. THE AGRICVLTURAL BANK OF IRELAND. (radii A tetteetteOreneet). the 046 i of the ReneWal of the Bank of Ireland bharter, Which eiipife4 atpoe the Ist ofJanuary. 15:38, is e r elting trieCit interest in the .'inter Country, and gannet tall iii j;;odifeitra spMethittg like a cortestionding feeling iii this quarter. Thdt the niorropoly which the Bank of Ireland has enjoyed for such a nee: her of years Elite been fft4st nreindicially felt, is a fact which wilt at once be ad , , 'titan tVefy dispassionate individual pogse'esing the least knowledge of f l ue nutter. e;;„: illiberality elf the Berle of Ireland, and the po'itical bias .wpb :1-aariab:s7 iniluen§ed itt riirecteree converting what should he'•iebeen . ii 'feat national c6mirtercial. 'lnstitution, existing but ft. 7; the adiianteg6 aeethirriindatiorrof Th ptsblic, into a sort of Matte engine; to be erelp‘yed as apoWerfelada?ery by the Minister of The day inhis fitterngt to carry tincorestittakenal and oppr&t,i+e . Measures, leave longbeen :1511111.n of popteler cediplaint. Whenever'' the Irish people Were etigeged in a stine'gld fo oltain their rights, Or rs resisting tyrannirel rieon their liberties ; they we gore to find the Bank of Ireland amongst The feretnest ; as it always was the bittefest of their opponents. The Ilfteeu Directors who p r e ildoa the Dank patlour in College-green wefealneesf always persons connected theceltets with yade, and what tren 4 erred the matter still worse, were tdo freVently partisans of tile tery faction ) so . that a rival in business, n tic Fielded to his dime thlit of heiffg & Liberal politician, was likely t o re ceiVe but very it countenance from them. A spirit of caprice ; generated i).l- monopoly ; was a leading feature in all theif pfeceedinge; and no pe'seir was able to calculate with certainty thq edurse which they were for any length of time likely to pursue. A liberality in diecounts one Month was in all probability folleTiee/ the next by at system of restriction ettfielt veal certain to greatly injure, if it did not altogether destroy, the enterprising trader. Some years ago the Irish Provincial bank was started upon the Joint [Stools Company principle, and so greet was the want of banking accortifhteletion in Ireland, and so nitteh did the community require such an ettfablishment, that it soon be came, under good management, one of the most profitable investments for capital in this country. With ix Capital of 500,000/., only 90,0001. of which was paid up, did the Provincial Bank commence business in all the considerable towns in the kingdom, and found that sum amply sufficient to insure confidence and afford extensive accommodation. The Bank of Ireland was now startled at its formidable rival, and jealous of its success, was induced to enter into competition with it, and extend its branehesover the country. The prosperity which continued to mark the career of the Provincial Bank, coupled with the conviction that further accommodation was necessary, prompted some speculative individuals to propose the formation of a new joint-stock Banking Compaq, The Agricultural Bank was the re sult of this resolution, and it soon started into existence with an abundant capital end a proprietory so numerous and widely spread that unbounded confidence Was imme rnediately reposed in it, and its success was Plaeed beyond the range of doubt. The Agricultural Bank havillee been regarded as a rival by the Bank of Ireland, and the Vrde vincial received, as we understand, a very determined op position, and had to fight its way through a multitude of difficulties, all of which it had succeeded in overcoming un til the panic of last year, in conjunction with intestine dis putes among its proprietors, led to its temporary stoppage. This was felt as a great calamity by the small traders in towns and farmers in the agricultural districts to whose interests it paid peculiar attention, and to whom it rendered incalculable service. Ireland is at present an agricultural country, and no place is capital more necessary, or can it be better employed. The small farmer there often is obliged at a ruinous prices to sell his cattle or produce to raise a trifling sum of money, and to this class of persons the Agricul tural Bank was of vital importance, as the solvent farmer, by joining in a note with a friend, could procure, for a few months, the loan of a sum which, although too trivial to be discounted at other Banks (not exceeding ten pounds), was to him invaluable. It gives us pleasure to learn that the Agricultural Bank has once more resumed business, with a capital of 278,000/. ; and if it could double that sum, or even considerably add to it by an increase of the English proprietary, we consider it would be one of the most flourishing establishments of the kind in the empire. We know that some of our Irish friends are not partial to an English Board sitting in London, instead of Dublin, otherwise we think that, had this plan at one time been adopted, the concern would never have been obliged to stop a single hour. In conclusion, we have only to state that we trust the Government will alone renew the Charter of the Bank of Ireland with a view to the public good, and not in compli ance with the selfish view of a few monopolising money changers. THE SPITALFIELDS WEAVERS. On Saturday night, at eight o'clock, a large meeting of the unem ployed Spitalfields Weavers was held at the Golden Heart, Phoenix. street, for the purpose of receiving the replies to the addresses sent to the Queen and the Queen Dowager on the subject of the distress of the unemployed members of the above body. About 200 were present when the chair was taken; and never was a more heart-rending picture displayed; the majority of the human beings here assembled were without either shirts or stockings, while others were enveloped in rags that scarcely protected them from the opera tion of our criminal laws, and the most of them were covered with sores, in consequence of being thus exposed to the severity of the weather. A weaver named BRITTEN took the chair. He said it was his painful duty to preside once more over a body of his fellow-workmen in the deepest and most deplorable distress. In walking through Spitalfields he had seen plenty of food for every one; but in visiting the wretched holes of the unemployed weavers he had seen starvation in its worse form; he might say he had seen famine; yes, in the land of plenty hun dreds who were willing to work were without tne means of buying a loaf of bread, and this once blessed country now appeared to be becoming a cursed country to them.—(Hear, hear.) Among other causes of their distress was that of causing two men to do three men's work, by toiling eighteen and twenty hours per day, including Sunday, which over-glutted the market, while their wages were so low that they were unable to pur_ chase provisions. Their wages were so low that they could not buy any of their clothing new, but were forced to make purchases at rag shops. A man named MOULES had been out of work for thirteen weeks, since which time his wife had been confined, and they might judge of his situation. On Monday he went to Church.strcet to obtain relief from the Adelaide Fund, which was raised by the Opera.house ball last sum mer, and saw two persons named Fox and Wallis. They told him he could not be relieved without he purchased the articles of a Society that had been established, and he replied that he had no money to do so : so that he was left to perish for want of the money.—(Shame.) Another weaver, named Lit COMBER, had a wife and family suffering most severely from cold and hunger ; hls wife had not sufficient clothes to leave her room, and neither she, himself, or children had partaken of any thing more than a drink of water since Friday morning. He had no shift or stockings, and his feet were covered with sores ; he had neither bed or bedstead, and they all lay together on some straw with nothing but a bit of sacking to cover them. He should have nothing to cat till next Tuesday, and his child was crying for bread, and in passing a baker's shop his heart was good to steal a loaf, but he had persevered and overcome his feelings. A weaver, named WELSH, then called the attention of the meeting to the answer he had received to the address sent to the Queen Dowager, It was as follows . 1 Gopsall, Feb. 2, 1838. " Gentlemen—l am honoured by the commands of the Queen Dow ager to acknowledge the receipt of au address signed by the unemployed weavers of Spitalfields, and praying that some part of the funds, arising from the ball held last June, should be applied to the present exigencies of the unemployed weavers. The money remaining after all expenses were paid has been invested for the formation of a saving fund, bearing her Majesty's name; but the Queen Dowager has heard, with unfeigned satisfaction, that the Trustees have already appropriated a portion of the money now in their hands to meet the existing distress. I regret that my absence from St. Leonard's has caused some delay in this answer to your address. I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your obedient hum ble servant, (Signed) " HOWL. " To the Committee of the Unemployed Silk Weavers, Sun Tavern, &c." _ _ With respect, said Welsh, to the relief that has been afforded, very few, if any, have received it, and above a thousand are out of work. He was sure the Queen Dowager must have been misinformed as to the state of things. He had waited upon some of the weavers on that and the previous day with two of his fellow-workmen, and he could report what he had seen. At No. 4, John-street, there were nine in family, all sick and lying on the bare boards. At No. 2, Little George-street, in a pigeon-loft between the ceiling and tiles were actually a woman and live children, without any furniture. In the wall two or three bricks had been knocked out, and a piece of iron-hoop placed so as to form a fireplace. She had not had food for a long time, and on leaving lie could not help crying. He was pressed, however, to visit others, and he did so. At No. 18, Phcenix-street, there was a family of five lying on straw; and at 3, Busby-court, there were four in a similar condition, without furniture. At No. 10, Fleet-street-hill, there were four in family, two of them in fever. At 16, King Edmund-street, there were eight altogether in family lying upon straw, three of whom were sick. At No. 9, Butler's-buildings, there were six lying upon straw ; and at 2, Swan-court, the same scene pre,:ented itself. At No. 5, Fleet-street -hill there was a family of three, lying upon a bedstead without any covering, and two of them sick with fever. At No, 8, Black Brea d-alle y , a mail named Mouis, with a w if e an d f our children, We re lying on some tailors' cutting s . Th e woman expected to be confined every day, and she had nothing p repare d . At 22, St. John street, street, there were six in family, several of whom were sick; they have no furniture. At No. 1, Coventry court, - Cox has a sick family of seven, and his wife near confinement, with nothing but the bare boards to l i e on . At 7, Little George-street, seven were lying on tailors' cut tings, and have no furniture, At another place he (Welsh) saw a little child with nothing but a piece of coarse sacking wrapped round it, and another with a piece of bed-ticking. These were only a few cases, yet it was asserted that their distresses had been relieved, although above a thousand were at that time in a dying state. A weaver named BEIIIIY said that they should respectfully and ur ge•itly press upon the Government the propriety of reducing the duty upon raw silk, as at present the French could send their goods into London and compete with the English manufacturers, while they (the weavers) were compelled to eat bread for which they paid one-third snore than the French, and rents in proportion. It was impossible these things could go on any longer. READ, another weaver, said that but for the exertions of himself and two others, the money obtained at the Opera-house ball would probably have been sunk in some manner that they never would have been able to understand. GILDERSLEWE, a weaver, said that among all the cases that the Com mittee had enquired into not a solitary instance of drunkenness pre sented itself. . . Mr. COLE, the landlord of the Golden Heart, said he was anxious to set the public right as to the original object of the meetings of unem ployed weavers. They first met for the purpose of ascertaining the number of looms that were out of work, but so many attended the meet ing, and so many cases of distress were stated, that an address it was agreed should be sent to the Dowager Queen praying for a portion of the money obtained at the ball, and which had been appropriated to wards the formation of a society, the members connected ith which had reason to blush as long as the lived. Dlr. Cole then ehselt at consider. able length upon them - wilts and demerits of the society, and instanced a number of airalling cases of distress. The average wages, he added of the weavers were but 10s.•per week, and yet the industrious workmen were accused of spending their money in public houses in beer and to bacco by those who were in the enjoyment of all the luxuries that this world could afford. These preachers of frugality wondered how the weaver could be worse off now than formerly, and for their satisfaction he would show them. He then read the following ssatcment, showing the difference in the price of work in 1824 and 1834, viz.— Geos DE NAPLES. 1824. 1834. s. d. s. tl. s. d. 4 double per card 4 single 0 11 .. ... 0 6 to 0 0/ 3 ciouNe Z single . . 0 9 Satin, 3.thiread,: , er yard ... 0 9 6-thread .. ~,,, , .6.thread Serg,?, Per yard - 1 0 Ladies' ve:"Ct, per yard.. ... „: 0 4!aeonard's gartnento, do. . 2 : • •• • 1 0 to 0 10 Single:Ctlrtured Tissue ......2 10 1 6 to 1 11 .. Half-double ec , .o. Shute and shute pialm ....., .1 9 to 3 0 Elkine or narrow waving hat.harols, per piece Galoons Double ribbons ... 1 1 Mr, Cott, after detailing some instances of oppression, said the i 2boVe statement Clem!) , showed the cause of the present distress. rhea:gall, a weaver, said that velvets were last week reduced f`c. 3cll. per ”id, Persons had been employed in distributing the money rafts& for the weavers at an expense of 71. 10s. per week, and he recommende 4 that an application should be made to the Lord Mayor and Alderman' Ktlly, requesting them to use their influence in obtaining the unem ployed weavers relief. without compelling them to join a society to which they had insuperable objections. A motion was ultimately carried that the whole body, with a deputa tion at their head, should wait upon the Lord Mayor, and the meeting adjourned. COURT CIRCULAR. MONDAY.---Fier Majesty and her august mother attended Divine service yesterday in the New Palace. The Rev. Dr. Short, Deputy Clerk of the Closet in Waiting, officiated. The Bishop of London preached the sermon. Viscount Melbourne and Ltd John Russell had audiences of the Queen on Saturday. Her Majesty, and her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, honoured the performance of .Elisa r Claudio, at the Lyceum, on Saturday evening, with thejr presence. The Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by Prince' George and the Princess Augusta of Cambridge, and attended by Miss Keir, Baron Knesebeck, and Colonel Cornwall, was also present at the Opera Buffa on Saturday evening. The Duke and liuchess of Cambridge, Prince George an d Princess Augusta of Cambridge, attended Divine Service yes terday morning, in Grosvenor Chapel, South Audley-street. A Cabinet Council was held at the residence of Viscount Melbourne, in South Audley-street, on Saturday afternoon. It was attended by the Lord Chancellor, Viscount Duncannonf Marquis of Lansdowne, Lord John Russell, Viscount Palmer', stop, Lord Glenelg, the Chancellor of the Ex che q uer, Ear l of Minto, Sir John Hobhouse, Mr. Powlett Thomson, an d Viscount flowick. Lord Holland was prevented by indisposition front attending' tba Council. The Council sat three hours. M. de Hummelaur, the Austrian Charge d'Affaires, trap' sacted business on Saturday at the Foreign-office. His Excellency Baron Munchausen has left Farranc o Hotel, for his residence in Giesvenor-place. Despatches were sent off on Saturday evening, from the Colonial-office, for the Governor of Malta and the Lord Hig h Commissioner of the lonian Islands. Count Pozzo di Borgo, the Russian Ambassador, gale $ grand dinner, on Saturday evening, at Ashburnham Hotnie' The company included some of the Cabinet Ministers. FASHIONABLE INTELLIOENCE. ARRIVALS. Lady Tyrwhitt Jones and family, at Grillon's Hotel, Charles' street, Grosvenor-square, from their seat, Stanley H all ; Nris' count and Viscountess Glentworth, in Gloucester-pl,sce, fr 01 1 . 1,. Southill Park, Berke, the seat of the Earl of Lime rick ; , Stephen R. Glynns, Bart., M.P., at the Carlton Hotel, ice' gent-street, from Hawsrden Castle ; Lord Fitzgerald a nd A i ly soy, from Dublin; Lord Western, from Felix Hall, Esse%% Lord James Browne, at the Marquis of Sligo's, Mansfiel d ; street, from Paris; Baron de Rothschild, from ditto • Ai' Burr, M. P., from Hereford ; Colonel Murray , from the Ce,: tinent ; Mr. Chute, M I'., from his seat in Norfolk ; Cunynghame, from Paris ; Mr. and Mrs. Lowe, from $" Continent ; Captain Wedderburne, from ditto ; the W I ; Mrs. Talbot, in Qaesn-street, Mayfair, from St. L eo nard Colonel O'Connell and family, from Dove r ; the Hon. Wiv liam Ponsonby, from Brighton ; Lord Cantelupe, in Grosf e ► nor-street, from Buckhurst Park, Sussex; Mr. Acland, from his seat in Somerset; Lord Ingestrie, M. P. in Eat o ,; . " place, from his seat in Staffordshire; Mr. Cavendish, M. in Piccadilly, from Latimers, Bucks ; the Dowager Count(' " Poulett, at Hyde Park-corner, from Brighton ; Lord Red e s s : dale and the Hon. Miss Mitford, in Harley-street, from Ba t e . ford Park, Gloucestershire ; the Earl of Clare, in Belgrt r j square, from his seat, Mount Shannon, near Limerick ; Farnham, at Mivart's Hotel, Brook - street , from St. Leona s 4 Mr. Henry Maxwell, M.P., and Mrs. Maxwe ll, at ditto, frvog, Hastings; Mr. and Mrs. Galton, at ditto, from a tour; t count and Viscountess Adore, in Brook - street , fro;n their Sea in Glamorganshire ; Mr. Greenaway, M.P., at the: Bu rllP e, ton Hotel, Burlington-etreet, frora his seat, Barringtoo-g r° ,. Oxfordshire ; Captain Raymond White, at ditto, from a• Captain and Mrs. M'Quarrie, at ditto, from their seat in Se,. fci, land; Mrs. Campbell, at ditto, from Scotland ; Earl O t , Countess of Burlington, it: Belgrave - square , from Ess bourne, Sussex. • DEPARTURES. The Marquis of Granby, and Lord Charles Manners, r °- the Carlton Hotel, Regent-street, for Be.ivoir Castle; P George Manners, from ditto, for Eton ; Crampton, from ditto, for Ireland ; Rook, Esq., from ditto, for 1 33 . t,.. Capt. and Mrs. Bowler and family, from ditto, for Berks ll l,, Mrs. Disboro, from ditto, for Huntingdonshire; and ik „' n ' o s Hutton, from ditto, for Yorkshire; Mr. and Mrs. Akers, om ditto, for Bedfordshire ; Walbanko Childers, Esq., M. Po ditto, for Cantley, Doncaster ; Sir Robert and Mrs. Ilre'r s , rigge and family, from Grillon's Hotel, Charles-street . a' ";110 venor-square; Sir William Somerville, Bart., M.P. , front 'O,„ Burlington Hotel, Burlington-street , for the seat of the D ° • ager Marchioness of Conyngham , Bifrons , near Canterbtoll; the Hon. Messrs. Yelverton, from ditto, on a tour; CaP ti c and Mrs. Scott, from ditto, for the Continent; Mr. John A r i Wright, from ditto, for his seat in Derbyshire; Captain from ditto ; Mr. J. Hunter, from ditto, for his seat near 1 ) ; 1 4 , bar ; Sir J. E. Wilmot, Bart., from Suffolk-street, for Jl n ' e s inns ; Hon. Major and Mrs. Gardiner, for Dover ; Sir v. , ChA l. ' l and Lady Grey, from the London Hotel, for Heaton Par li 0 Sir Samuel Jervoise, from Hanover-square, for his se st ,b Hants ; Lord Chesterfield, fro m Ch es t er field House, for Bre"'a Park, Hote Leicestershire : the Ni r E . a raln of d Alrs. Eldon, Bell, fr om fr i o i m a m t i e t 0 n l i o p n ifi u_ t ° o, eCr for Encombe, Dorsetshire ; Lady Frances Bankes, from di t .„` for ditto ; Captain .Hyde Parker, R.N., to assume the „.C ° ,,l: mand at Woolwich ; Lord Joselvn, to join the Rifles, at N"" o t B wi o c u h lo ; p H e o ; n. Captain Jocelyn, 'for the Cavalry Barracks, Brighton ; George Worrall, sq., for the Badminton fl ul/ € O . ; Lord Mountcashel, for the Continent; Colonel Rochfort , Captain ant.l Lady Mary Vyner, from St. Jame s ' square, for Wrest-park, near Woburn, Bedfordshire. CLASSICAL EVENING CONCEICO. or o ' A series of three subscription concerts, under the above title, ,_,„O menced on Friday evening at the Hanover.sqUare Rooms. The y have established for the purpose of affording the adnijrers of wind.instruni er, music the opportunity of hearing compositions of that character formed by some of the most eminent professors at pe"Se l it in 1 -` °9 ,:cre and our readers may judge of the style in which the several pieces " 0 0 played, when we state that the performers were Messrs. Secllate ei ‘ flute, Barret the oboe, Willman the clarionet, PLIZZI the hor,,"' eic r r Baumann the bassoon. Theconcert opened with a Quintet, by for flute, oboe, horns, and bassoon. Another Quintet, by the e' v f composer, was played in the course of the evening, with a Nonne t ,' Thrommer; Dragonetti's double bass, another horn, and an addin ° bassoon and oboe being added to the instruments already mentioPo Allowing for the imperfections which an extremely cold night nat tir :cli effected in wind-instrument playing, the pieces mention ed, all of vr d ' were of great difficulty and intricacy, were delightfully exsNuted, si n 0 ,0 forded areal treat to the auditory. The gem of the evening, hs.lwe eer ' ri (l , decidedly Beethoven's quintet for pianoforte, clarinet, oboe, fr bassoon. Mrs. Anderson was the performer upon the first inetitilosi instrument, and eminent as that lady has long been as the most tiro' performer of all the English pianists, she added, in our estimatio n, os additional wreath to the laurels already won. The performance Abe in admirable keeping, and exquisitely calculated to give (Met t ° tt Cr composition, instead of merely chewing off the artist, which is o, e se too frequently the only study of the player. The accompanimen t ', till' by the wind instruments with the utmost delicacy and liltjoit wrought expression, and thus resulted a combination the richo t e pi can be conceived. The slow movement was particularly admire d . 0 0 ; a p p l au d e d. Besides the instrumental music, several vocal comP ° ' it ,,te, were introduced. Donizetti's pleasing duet," Oh la bella Immantirne-diC was well sung by Sigs. Catotti and F. Lablache ; Cimarosa's air, " Q., u „,•Or pupille tenere," by Madame Eckerlin ; the well.known duet from " Crude' perche," by Miss F. Wyndham and Signor F. Labla'oe and Mozart's beautiful air " L'Addio," by Miss F. Wyndham' ras a vocal music was accompanied on the piano by M. Negri. M stated, the night was extremely cold, and the effects of the weat r ;oce , peared to have communicated a sympathetic effect to the a u ",,,; - b ite a for we never observed much less warmth and enthusiasm e1",.. - v or' at the hearing of so admirable and novel a performance, as a grea' f 'ttie tion of the bill of fare included. Judging from the appearanc e ° wee room last night, we should fear that the speculation would not B° ,ol the wishes of the projectors. More favourable weather, liovie,ipt and the novelty of these concerts, when a knowledge of ,diem llA ,...or! been established becomes ge nera lly diffused amongst the area 01 ' of wind instrument music, and indeed of Ana PlaY ing " th , any class, will, we hope, p rocure a f u ll er a tt en d ance , a nd A more C ' n elastic auditory, at the succeeding concerts. HISTORY OF FERDINAND ARD I s AßELDA t ' i c i g The whole hist or y o f S pa i n presents no p er i o d so intere s ici f t as that of the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. Not to SP ;r , only, but to the whole world, was it a period of vast i lll ,,ft ' tance. During this memorable re i gn , the provinces of , which had b e f ore f orme d so man y petty Ki ng doms', si e , united under one Cro w n. Napl es w as subdued ; Nia"°tiotl danism was d r i ven f rom t h a t s id e o f E urope ; the Inclui si ; s c• was established ; Am e rica was discovered; and all the c ° ; of quences of that New World, opening upon the enterPr is i t the Old, began to tell upon the whole frame of society. ,oula strange that a period of such exciting interest as this 5:114i5• n)t have been before pourtra3cd. Mr. Prescott, in his tory of Ferdin a nd and Isabella," however, has fortune' bie availed himself of the recent discovery of a mine of Yaluilthe manuscripts, which had slumbered unheeded for ages uP,caloor shelves of some Spanish libraries, to supply the hiatus '1 bib historical literature, and very completely has he fulfi lle n a task. Thi s i s o n e o f the best histories which has appeary so late years, and ought to be added to every library, End Tirgo the circuit of every-club. The reader who begin g it vvl through it.—Somerset County Gazette.